Fan-Coil Units Integral In Hotel Renovation

Fan-Coil Units Integral In Hotel Renovation Simple installation was a key element in a $415-million renovation that resulted in the new SLS Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Out of a $415-million renovation of the historic Sahara Hotel property in Las Vegas emerged the SLS Hotel & Casino. Part of the renovation was guest-room fan-coil units from IEC.

Located in one of the most storied spots on the Las Vegas strip, the SLS Hotel & Casino opened in August 2014 to much anticipation and excitement. The site, formerly the Sahara Hotel and Casino, was purchased in 2007 by SBE Entertainment Group, Los Angeles, and

Stockbridge Real Estate Group, San Francisco, followed by the official closing of the Sahara in May 2011. With plans for a $415-million renovation as part of SBE’s chain of SLS hotels, the new owners officially broke ground on the SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on February 14, 2013.

Once a hot spot for “Rat Pack” happenings, the former Sahara was host to the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Bennett, and Louis Prima. It had also served as the location for Vegas-themed movies and events such as the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. Thus, throughout the renovation, SBE placed significant emphasis on combining modern comfort and convenience with design and style befitting the location’s notable and star-studded history.

With guest rooms and restaurants designed by the renowned Philippe

Starck, in collaboration with architect-at-large Gensler, Las Vegas, virtually every inch of the new property was planned to convey sophistication, elegance, and excitement.

Additionally, SBE emphasized the importance of ensuring the highest level of efficiency across the property’s back-of-house operations. This included evaluating its existing mechanical systems to determine which upgrades and replacements would be necessary during the renovation.

“We were dealing with a situation in which equipment was in various lifecycle stages, because the property encompasses buildings constructed from the early 1950s all the way up to the 1980s,” explained Tony Foti, SLS director of engineering and safety. “While some of the older areas had undergone renovations in recent years, others, which were part of expansions in the last couple of decades, were in more urgent need of upgrades.”

The HVAC system upgrade solution was particularly varied in the three existing guestroom high-rises on the property—which would be renamed the World, Story, and Lux towers. “In the Story and Lux towers, we took everything down to the foundational concrete and, therefore, a complete replacement of all mechanical systems was necessary,” said Foti.

SBE engaged Southland Industries, Las Vegas, to design and oversee the property’s entire mechanical-system project, including upgrades or maintenance to all HVAC, plumbing, and fire-protection systems. “With bold plans for the renovation, SBE still wanted to be smart about using existing elements of the mechanical infrastructure wherever possible,” said Danny

Boh, project manager at Southland Industries. “SBE also had an aggressive timeline and strict budget for the project, which meant there was little room for error in making these decisions.”

INSTALLING NEW, RENOVATING OLD Southland technicians and managers began by conducting a thorough field investigation of the property’s existing systems to determine which parts could be integrated into the new mechanical-system plan. During that evaluation, it was also decided that the existing fan coils in the guestrooms of the World tower would remain.

A total of 623 vertical-stack and horizontal (MPY and CPY series) fancoil units from IEC International Environmental, Oklahoma City, in a capacity range of 400, 600, 800, 1,000 and 1,200 cfm, were specified for the Story and Lux guest towers, while an additional 1,265 units were evaluated for maintenance and would remain in operation in the World guest tower. General demolition began on the guestroom tower-renovation portion of the project in June 2013.

Above, left. The Lux Tower guest rooms have a unique design. The renovation called for new fan-coil units in all of the rooms in this tower of the hotel.

Above, right. This unit in a Lux Tower room is one of the 623 new fan-coils that were specifi ed for the Story and Lux guest towers. An additional 1,265 were upgraded/repaired and remain in operation in the World guest tower at the SLS Hotel & Casino.

Right. Since its opening in August 2014, the SLS Hotel & Casino has received high marks for its unique design and overall comfort.

For the three guestroom high-rise buildings, Southland worked with Hansen Mechanical Contractors, Las Vegas, to install the new HVAC systems in the Lux and Story towers, and conduct the required maintenance on the existing systems in the World tower.

“We were working within a very clearly staged and interdependent construction timeline, which meant everything needed to happen on schedule in order for the entire renovation project to be completed on time,” explained Bill Blumenthal, project manager at Hansen Mechanical. In fact, the hotel opened ahead of schedule.

Hansen commenced work in the summer of 2013, beginning with maintenance on the existing IEC fan-coil units in the World tower. “Despite some issues with not being very well maintained by the property’s former ownership, the IEC units were in great condition for their age,” Blumenthal said. His team replaced many of the units’ fan motors, as well as cleaned and pressurized all of their coils. To integrate with the guestrooms’ new interior designs, Hansen also worked with the general contractor to repaint the units’ outer panels.

Following completion of the World tower fan-coil unit maintenance in August 2013, Hansen moved on to installation of the new equipment in the 203 Story tower and 289 Lux tower rooms that same October.

“Other than drilling holes for new risers and reconfiguring some of the ductwork to accommodate remote versus unit-mounted thermostats, this was a standard job, and everything went according to plan,” said Blumenthal. “Aesthetics were very important, so we also worked with the property ownership to center the units’ grilles so they looked more appealing and symmetrical, and allowed the interior design elements in the rooms to be the true center of attention.”

According to Blumenthal, Hansen spent considerable advanced planning time with the installation engineering team at IEC to ensure the new fan coil units would be an ideal fit. “In addition to our own robust pre-planning process, which includes our CAD department mapping out the building before we ever get into the actual installation, we were able to work with IEC on having them pre-fab all the risers, and also tag everything by project area so the equipment was very well-organized upon delivery,” explained Blumenthal.

All aspects of HVAC system installation, testing, and start-up were completed in the Lux and Story towers by May 2014, allowing the final stages of the renovation project at-large to be completed on time.

Officially opening its doors on August 23, 2014, the new SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas has already experienced exceptional activity across its casino, four nightclubs, eight restaurants and café, variety of shops, and 1,600 guestrooms. The hotel has also received high accolades for its unique design and overall comfort, with the

guestroom HVAC systems among the factors contributing to this positive feedback.

The renovation is “the ideal mix of classic throwback and modern functionality,” said Foti, “and the IEC fancoil units help make the guests’ in-room experiences very comfortable.”

“We’ve done a lot of HVAC work on the Las Vegas strip over the years, and I was actually personally involved with the original North and South guest towers on the Sahara property,” said Blumenthal. “IEC has consistently provided a reliable product, and our experience with the company’s manufacturer’s representatives has also been very positive. I anticipate the systems we’ve installed at the new SLS Las Vegas will continue to operate as planned for many years to come.” CBP

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